The Athens verdict which deemed neofascist Golden Dawn party of being a criminal organisation in disguise was celebrated by tens of thousands of people in Greece.

The landmark decision, announced by presiding judge Maria Lepenioti, resulted in tens of thousands of people who gathered outside the heavily guarded court complex breaking out in spontaneous applause and jubilation.

Ms Lepenioti said the court found that seven of the ultra-right wing organisation’s 18 former MPs, including the party’s founder Nikolaos Michaliolakos, were guilty of leading a criminal organisation with the rest found culpable of participating in a gang.

Magda Fyssa, the mother of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos, stabbed to death by a party operative wailed: “Pavlos did it! My son!”

Her image did the rounds of the international press who spoke of the landmark ruling which will have ramifications for the extreme right across Europe.

Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Nils Muižnieks, said: “This verdict sends a clear message to political groups with aggressive anti-migrant and anti-human rights agendas in Greece and across Europe that violent and racist criminal activity – whether perpetrated by individuals on the street or members of parliament, will not go unpunished.”

READ MORE: Golden Dawn leadership guilty of forming a criminal organisation

The hearing, which began in April 2015, has been the biggest trial of neofascists since the prosecution of Nazis at Nuremberg following WWII. During the trial, the accused denied charges. Mr Michalioliakos, a man who had denied the Holocaust and admired Hitler, had described Golden Dawn as a patriotic duty. The party had targeted immigrants, trade unionists, anti-fascists, leftists and gay people, and had lead to the stabbing of rapper Pavlos Fyssas in September 2013 by party operative Giorgos Roupakias.

Prior to the trial 137 prominent Greek Australians, including staff members of Neos Kosmos, had signed a statement condemning the party’s ideology. “As Australian citizens of Greek background we followed and condemned all these years, the criminal acts of Golden Dawn in Greece. We also were opposed to the extreme ideology and terminology expressed by their few vocal supporters in the community here in Australia,” they said, calling for the Golden Dawn leadership to be held accountable for the charges so as to “protect the democratic values of Greece”.

“We also welcome the shared position of all the Greek political leaders and parties of a democratic persuasion who stand united in their opposition to Golden Dawn as reported in the Greek media in Athens.

READ MORE: Greek-Australians make statement against Golden Dawn ahead of 7 October courtcase

“The intimidation of citizens, the undermining of democratic politics and institutions through violence and murder or through racist and extreme language, have no place in Greece.”

Now that the Golden Dawn has been deemed a criminal organisation by the Greek courts, eyes turn to the status of the oceanic branch of Golden Dawn Australia.